2016 -2017 SEASON
2016-2017 Season
Brochure & Subscription
STICK FLY
by Lydia R. Diamond
Directed by Rhonda Wilson
Apr. 7 - 23, 2017
Auditions: Feb. 19 & 20
Rehearsal Begins: Feb. 27
The affluent, African-American LeVay family is gathering at their Martha’s Vineyard home for the weekend, and brothers Kent and Flip have each brought their respective ladies home to meet the parents for the first time. As the two newcomers butt heads over issues of race and privilege, longstanding family tensions bubble under the surface and reach a boiling point when secrets are revealed.
TELLING: GAINESVILLE
Written (as told to)
by Max Reyneard
Directed by Jeffery Pufahl
Nov. 10 - 19, 2016
THIS PRODUCTION HAS BEEN CAST
Four Veterans and a military wife, living in Gainesville, come together to tell their life stories and openly discuss what it means to have served their county and to now live as Veterans in the USA. With first hand accounts of a soldier's life in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, in-depth insights into the difficulties of returning home. Telling: Gainesville builds a bridge between civilians and veterans by creating a space for discussion, reflection, and understanding.
Do not miss this unique theatrical experience!
BEAUTIFUL THING
by Jonathan Harvey
Directed by Kathy Byrne
Oct. 16 - 30, 2016
Jamie and Ste (short for Steve) are teen-age neighbors in a working-class housing project in London. Jamie is bookish and shy while Ste is more athletic. Neither on has an ideal home life. As their friendship grows, Jamie begins to realize he has stronger feeling for Ste.
Both realizing they'er gay, Ste and Jamie begin a tentative relationship. The play ends with the two boys feeling less alone in the world than before; they have each other.
ETHEL WATERS:
HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW
by Larry Parr
Directed by Steven H. Butler
Jan. 20 - Feb. 5, 2017
Auditions: Nov. 28 & 29
Rehearsals Begins: Dec. 5
Based on her true life events:
Ethel Waters was born in a Philadelphia slum, the result of her unmarried mother's being raped at 12 years old. Ethel learned to steal food and clothes to survive, but along the way she learned to sing, too. After being married off at age 13 to an abusive older man, she drew upon a strength of faith within herself, left her husband and set out on her own, singing and dancing in vaudeville and determined to take care of herself at the age of 14.
Ethel's eventually established a successful show business career that included work in vaudeville, recording, Broadway, and movies (nominated for an Academy Award). Over the years she becomes suspicious, mistrusting, and all alone, Ethel withdrew into her apartment, where she faced the most-difficult decision of her life: remain a withdrawn has-been, or take a leap of faith in her God and in a man who promises to deliver her from her woes, help from a most unlikely source.
BAD JEWS
by Joshua Harmon
(A Community Event &
Dramatic Reading)
Co-Directed by Steven H. Butler &
Robert E. Sturmer
May 26 - June 4, 2017
Audition: Apr. 9 & 10
Rehearsals Begin: Apr. 17
Joshua Harmon's critically acclaimed play, Bad Jews, tells the story of three very different grandchildren gathered at the funeral of their family patriarch (Poppy) -- a holocaust survivor. Who is the rightful inheritee of Poppy's Chai necklace? Liam, an atheist with a shiksa girlfriend, Melody? Daphna, the "real" Jew whose identity is tightly wrapped in cultural history? Jonah, whose empathic spirit leaves him struggling to keep the peace? In a riotous, caustic, debate the twenty-somethings hash out questions about identity, legacy and what the chosen choose to believe.
WARNING! The play may make you feel uncomfortable at times with its acerbic wit and harsh language. During an interview, Joshua Harmon explained, "This is a private fight within the family, and you're somehow intruding, which is an exciting, dangerous place for an audience to be. You're seeing something that is not meant to be seen."
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Join the Actors' Warehouse for this community engagement event that uses Harmon's powerful script as a darkly funny platform for the exploration of what we believe and what it means to be us. Contextualized in the Jewish experience, the questions are universal.
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Look for the professional production of Bad Jews at The Sharon's Studio Theater, Tierra Del Sol 10/31/17-12/3/17.
ME & JEZEBEL
by Elizabeth Fuller
Directed by Deborah B. Dickey
July 7 - 23, 2017
Auditions: May 21 & 22
Rehearsals Begin: May 30
It all starts when a mutual friend brings Bette Davis to Elizabeth Fuller's house for dinner. Davis calls the next day to thank Elizabeth for the lovely dinner (although the chicken was a bit raw), and to ask if she could possibly impose and stay with her for a couple of days (no more than three) while a hotel strike runs its course in New York. Fuller, a life-long fan, can hardly refuse. But trouble soon begins as Davis arrives with a station wagon full of belongings and, moves right in. Davis quickly dominates the lives of Elizabeth, her husband, John, and their young son, Christopher, who begins imitating Davis' tones and, worse, her language; as does Elizabeth, who desperately wants to form a real friendship with her idol. Elizabeth tells Davis stories of how she and her grandmother used to go to Davis' double features and write her fan letters. Oblivious to the Fuller family, Davis decides what they will have for dinner, when they will go to the beach and speaks her mind on everything from child-rearing and spiritualism to Paul Newman and, of course, Joan Crawford. As the days progress it becomes clear that Davis thrives on conflict and high tension, and that she is only truly happy when she is stirring things up.
AW EDUCATIONAL SERIES
This new performing arts educational series is designed to incorporate theatrical pieces into the exploration of social, political, cultural and economic issues throughout the world. Join us for an engaging Talk-Back session at the end of each performance. Talk-Back sessions are facilitated by academic and community experts in the subject matter presented in the play.
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